


Even As The World Goes Still

by inthesummer



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Quiet World, M/M, basically a drabble, short one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 11:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3326294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthesummer/pseuds/inthesummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hundred and sixty-seven words a day is not much, and all is bound to change. But Philipp thinks otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even As The World Goes Still

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the beautiful poem The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel.

“At least we’d be spared from Thomas’ nonsensical rambling from now on,” is the first thing Bastian says as soon as the television goes off, the screen now just some blank space holding their reflections.

Philipp supposes it is meant to be a joke – trust Bastian to see the humour of the situation. But Bastian isn’t even smiling; if anything, he looks pained, and Philipp understands that _Thomas’ nonsense rambling,_ as Bastian eloquently puts it, is one of the very first things Bastian will miss from the world that is soon about to change.

He stays still on his seat, his eyes on Bastian across the table, watches as the younger tries to appear calm and take it all in stride. But there’s that familiar tautness along his jaw line that betrays him, so subtly there no one can tell if they don’t know any better.

Philipp _knows_ though, of course he does.

“And no more games, huh?” Bastian sighs, his voice sounds small, defeated.

And he is right; the sport is nothing without the sound of the crowd, and Philipp doubts anyone will still be willing to use their words cheering for a group of people they hardly even know.

“Why, I bet Thomas will be delighted to know that he came first into your mind even before the games,” Philipp grins, wiggles both his eyebrows for good measure because he knows Bastian will never not smile when he does that.

Bastian chuckles, and it’s more than Philipp could hope for, for now.

Still smiling, he reaches out and lays one hand on the wooden surface between them, waiting. Bastian takes it in no time at all, holding it tight with his own.

“We’re gonna be just fine, you know,” Philipp says, wills his conviction to seep through their linked hands and into Bastian’s skin, wants nothing but to put his still troubled mind at ease.

He needs Bastian to believe what he believes.

“I love you, Fips,” Bastian says as he looks right into Philipp’s eyes, and it’s what Philipp sees in there, along with the soft smile on Bastian’s face that tells Philipp that he gets it now, that the words aren’t said out of desperation for running out of time to say them as many times a day as they both would like.

When tomorrow comes, they may try to keep all the words they are allowed to say for themselves so that they can whisper _I love you_ ’s to each other at least fifty five times a day, each one like a reminder so the other will never forget.

Or they may use the words to call Thomas and tease him, and go someplace to eat where they will place their orders with their voices loud and clear while the others can just point at the menu, and then they will be left with no more word count at the end of the day, their _I love you_ 's unspoken.

But either way, it’s alright, it’s perfectly fine, because it’s not like they don’t know, and it’s not as if they need to be reminded with words just to remember that it’s _true_.

Still, Philipp smiles back and says, “Love you, too,” because he knows his words will make Bastian happy as much as Bastian’s words make him.

And honestly, that is _all_ that matters.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, I don't know what it is with me and Lahmsteiger fics and Tuesdays, really. Three works and all were done/finished on a Tuesday! Anyways. I wrote something out of this prompt for a different fandom a long time ago, and recently I just felt the urge to try to write Lahmsteiger on the same verse. My apologies if I don't do the poem justice with this fic.
> 
> Unbeta'ed. Feedback is much appreciated :)


End file.
